Tire testing systems which examine tires in order to determine the presence of any irregularities or non-uniformities are known in the art. Known systems typically move a tire to a testing station where it is engaged by some form of chuck apparatus and inflated to its normal pressure. The tire is rotated at a standard speed against a loadwheel. Data taken from load cells to which the loadwheel is attached is used to detect the presence of any irregularities which may have arisen during the manufacturing process. Additionally, the system typically measures the size of the irregularities and is equipped with devices for correcting the irregularities, for example, grinding devices which remove material from the tire. An example of a tire testing machine, known as a tire uniformity testing machine, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,695, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
There are other tire testing machines that test the balance condition of a tire. An example of this type of machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,448,267, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
In both of these types of machines, it is often desirable to apply tire grade, balance and/or tire uniformity marks or indicia on the sidewall of the tire after testing. In the prior art, it is common to see colored dots on the sidewall of the tire that are placed there by tire marking machines. These dots are used by a tire installer to properly position the tire on a rim during tire mounting.
Recently, it has now been found desirable to mark rejected tires with multiple visible markings or codes to indicate the reason the tire failed the test.